The rates, as Denmark so far has been on the EU budget, away, believe a large majority of EU countries.
Denmark has a handful of true friends, when it comes to ensure a tight EU budget of 1.00 percent of gni, which is the government’s target.
But in a cooperation with nearly 30 members, there is also place to many enemies or opponents.
And it has Denmark before the EU countries ‘ foreign and european affairs ministers on Tuesday afternoon to take the first ministerial wrangling, a compromise, as the Finnish EU presidency presented last week.
A secretary of state Robert Kofods three priorities before the meeting is that Denmark as a net contributor must preserve a discount in the budget.
Discounts are a festering issue. It has only the support of the countries that have them. The EU presidency has presented a compromise, which did not take a position on whether the rebates should continue.
– There must be equity in it, so it is important with the corrections, that is, as large net contributors such as Denmark, Germany, Sweden and the other gets a correction (discount, red.), says Jeppe Kofod (S) before the meeting.
Besides the three mentioned is it about the Netherlands and Austria.
Former prime minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt negotiated before the current budget period to a discount of approximately a billion dollars annually.
France, which is also a net contributor, is one of the countries that pay the price for the rebate, and France will be fighting fiercely for it to cease.
– France are working together with 17 other countries to bow the rebates, after that the united kingdom is no longer in the EU. The current system has become illegible and impossible to defend politically, says France’s minister for european affairs, Amélie de Montchalin, on Tuesday in the newspaper L’opinion.
She says on the way to the meeting, to the presentation from Finland is a useful starting point for debate. But there are points for France “is completely unacceptable”.
The same says Sweden’s minister for european affairs, Hans Dahlgren, who can’t live with Finland’s compromise budget on 1,07% of gni.
Sweden, Austria, Denmark and the Netherlands stand together on, that the budget must not exceed 1,00 percent. Germany is a close ally.
– The countries which are net beneficiaries, not just expect, that we give more and more, says Jeppe Kofod.
/ritzau/
